1963 Irish 6 Pence

The 1963 Irish sixpence shows a sow and her piglets on the reverse, a design unchanged since 1939 that quietly nods to the country's agricultural backbone.

That image, engraved by Paul Vincze, pairs with the obverse's Irish harp, struck in cupro-nickel at the Royal Mint in London. Ireland relied on British facilities for its coins until 1978. The coin measures 19 millimeters across and weighs just under three grams, fitting neatly into a pocketful of pre-decimal change.

Exact mintage figures are murky; records from that era aren't always precise. What we know is that millions circulated before decimalization in 1971 rendered it obsolete.

As for its fate, most ended up in jars or melted down. Pity the poor numismatist digging through attic finds.